MILWAUKEE – The Milwaukee tennis team "hit the road" Saturday, traveling to Cardinal Stritch (Milwaukee) to take on the Wolves on Saturday afternoon. First serve is set for 1 p.m. from Elite – North Shore.
 
LAST TIME OUT: MKE's Greta Carbone and Mayya Perova opened the 2022 season with singles wins in last week's 4-3 loss to Omaha.
 
Perova kicked off the season strong, winning convincingly 6-2, 6-2 over ONU's Ines Absisn from the No. 2 ingles line.
 
Carbone, reigning Horizon League Freshman of the Year picked up right where she left off, winning 6-4, 3-6, 6-2 from the No. 1 singles line.
 
The Panthers also picked up the doubles point with wins from Nikki Milner and Perova from the No. 2 line, while Iva Stejskalova and Carbone wrapped up the point from the No. 1 doubles line.
 
SCOUTING THE WOLVES: The Stritch Wolves finished with a 12-6, 6-0 Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference (CCAC) record a season ago. They handedly won the CCAC Tournament, sweeping their opponents 4-0, and swept their first-round opponent at the NAIA National Championships.
 
The Panthers and Wolves have faced off six times over the course of program history, and the Panthers have won all six duals. The last time the two met up, almost exactly a year ago, Milwaukee won 6-1.
 
This year's Wolves squad consists of just four returners, including one senior, Ricarda Spartmann. The rest of the roster consists of (five) freshmen.
 
The match against the Black & Gold will be the team's season opener.
 
THE POLLS ARE OUT: Earlier this week, the Horizon League Preseason Coaches poll came out, and the Panthers came in at No. 4. UIC and Youngstown State finished No. 1 and No. 2, while Cleveland State rounded out the top three.
 
2022 Horizon League Women's Tennis Preseason Poll
Pl.      Team – Pts. (First-place votes)
1.        UIC – 47 (5)
2.        Youngstown State – 43 (2) 
3.        Cleveland State – 35
4.        Milwaukee – 24
5.        Oakland – 21
6.        Northern Kentucky – 19
7.        IUPUI – 7
 
RECAP OF 2021: The Panthers finished the 2021 season with a 14-8, 7-5 record and earned a spot into the Horizon League tournament for the second time in three years. The 14 wins marked a new school record for the most team wins in a single season.
 
Now sophomore, Greta Carbone served up an impressive freshman campaign by earing league Freshman of the Year and First-Team honors with a 16-4, 10-2 HL overall record.
 
Mayya Perova and Nikki Milner also earned league recognition twice throughout the 2021 season as Doubles Team of the Week.
 
HOME IS WHERE THE HEART IS: Milwaukee is a combined 20-7 over the last three seasons, including a 10-3 home record in 2021.
 
THE BLACK & GOLD: The Panthers enter the 2022 season with a mix of experience and newcomers. Returning are seniors Nikki Milner, Mayya Perova and Anika Tylek. All three return with valuable court experience throughout their four-year tenure with the Black & Gold.
 
Also returning are sophomores Iva Stejskalova and reigning Horizon League Freshman of the Year, Greta Carbone.
 
Newcomers include (sophomore) Babette Burgersdijk who transferred in from Louisiana Lafayette, and freshmen Giorgia Cavestro and Avery Durham.
 
Follow MKE on Twitter and Instagram (@MKE_Tennis) and get to know the 2022 roster with Get to Know the Panthers video series.
 
2022 SCHEDULE: For the first two months, Milwaukee hits the non-conference schedule hard with strong opponents such as Butler, Eastern Illinois, Marquette, Drake, and SIUE. Out of 15 non-conference duals this season, the Panthers are home just four times before Horizon League play in March.
 
On the flip side, the Panthers will host the majority of conference play. MKE will host IUPUI, Northern Kentucky, UIC and Oakland in the month of April.
 
COVID-19 PROTOCOL: Per UW-Milwaukee, masks will be required for all spectators, regardless of vaccination status, at Elite Sports Club. Masks must be worn at all times, except while actively eating or drinking. Masks must completely cover the wearer's nose and mouth. Spectators failing to adhere to this policy may be asked to leave the venue. Children under 3 years old are exempt from the mandatory mask policy.
 
NEXT UP: After Cardinal Stritch, the Panthers travel south of the border to take on Butler and Eastern Illinois the weekend of February 5. Milwaukee will take on the Bulldogs on Saturday from the Butler Tennis Bubble, and will follow with a Sunday matinee against Eastern Illinois in a Panther vs. Panther showdown.